Find Free Wi-Fi Just About Anywhere

Pay phone booths are a relic of the recent past, but they may
soon offer smartphone users something new: free Wi-Fi.

The New York Times reports NYC has just
converted 10 booths into Wi-Fi hotspots, with plans to do the
same to a few more of its 12,360 pay phones soon. With booth
maintenance contracts set to expire in 2014, they might decide to
convert more.

If successful, it’s easy to imagine this initiative taking off in
other cities. Many have tried and failed to implement public
networks – most recently in Hollywood, Fla. On July 2, the local
paper called the city’s effort “a $3.8 million Wi-Fi debacle.”

As a laptop user, Wi-Fi’s been important to me for a long time.
All else being equal, I won’t stay at a hotel that charges for
Wi-Fi – not when it’s free at McDonald’s and Starbucks.
And as more people buy smartphones or Wi-Fi-only e-readers and
tablets, the demand for Wi-Fi will probably keep growing. Here
are some easy ways to get free access…

1. Corporate chains

Whether they sell fries or office supplies, several chains offer
free Internet access at many (and sometimes all) locations.
Here’s a partial list of places that usually have free Wi-Fi…

2. Cable/phone/Internet companies

You may notice that many of the major chains use AT&T to
power their free Wi-Fi. If you’re an AT&T Wireless or U-Verse
customer, you probably have free access to thousands of hotspots that
use AT&T’s infrastructure but normally charge access fees.

3. Hotel loyalty programs

I already mentioned I wouldn’t stay at a hotel that charges for
Wi-Fi over a similarly priced hotel that didn’t. In other words,
I’d rather pay the difference to the business that looks at
Internet as a courtesy instead of revenue.

Fortunately, that leaves me with a huge list of options – take a
look at HotelChatter’s 2012 list of best hotels for free Wi-Fi. You
can sometimes broaden the list by signing up for a brand’s free
loyalty program – and while I might groan about their spam emails
until I filter them out, I’m not above getting my free Wi-Fi this
way.

4. Check a database

Free Wi-Fi is well-documented online. Head to WiFiFreeSpot.com and you’ll find
state-by-state and city-by-city lists of locations, as well as
categories of hotspots such as airports, campgrounds, and chain
stores.

Want Wi-Fi data mapped out? Try WeFi, which lets you punch in an address and pull
up the area with free Wi-Fi stores and hotspots marked. They also
have an app for Android phones. All free.